The real deal

It started kicking in that this was the real deal when they wheeled me into the OR delivery room to start pushing. This is standard when in labor w/twins, as complications that'd require a c-section are much more likely to arise in these cases. Between the hormones, the nerves, and the fact that the a/c was blowing on high, I became really shaky... hence the first picture here of me w/warmed blankets up to my chin. :) When it was time to push, I--of course--still felt like I had no idea what I was doing. They said I was doing a great job, and my doctor had me push for about 45 minutes. At this point he became worried that my pelvis was just too small to deliver the baby. Baby girl was coming first and she was the smaller of the two. So, even if he was able to use forceps or vacuum to help get her out, little brother would be even bigger and even more impossible to deliver; it was at this point that he strongly recommended a c-section. I was bummed at having to resort to this after only 45 minutes of trying, but I was honestly grateful for the opportunity to experience the "real" birth experience as I had thus far. We always knew a c-section would be a possibility to we'd tried to keep an open mind and go with our doctor's recommendation. So they prepared me for the surgery and Guy was right there by my side the whole time. He's been such a rock and amazing support throughout this whole process and especially this day.

I get additional drugs through the epidural and am feeling great until the procedure starts. The drape goes up in front of me and, within a minute or two, I get this crazy-intense headache pounding through my head. I'm communicating this to Guy and the anesthesiologist who are both seated near my head, and the anesthesiologist promises me some additional drugs that he's going to administer as soon as both babies are out. As if I need additional motivation to see the little guys at this point! After a lot of tugging and moving and pushing and pulling, I suddenly feel a release in my abdomen and a sharp cry fills the air. Oh my gosh! It's our baby girl. Tears spring to my eyes and I just can't stop them at this point... it's like the ultimate breakdown point, right? Years of infertility, the amazing blessing of Adam in our lives, more years of trying to adopt again, and a surprisingly successful IVF process. And now I hear this innocent cry... representitive, to me, of the Lord's answer to many prayers. Now comes my worry and waiting to hear little brother and hoping that both babies are healthy... they're barely 34 weeks along, which makes them about 6 weeks early. Baby brother comes soon after, and here are a bunch of pix documenting those few minutes. A nurse in the room was kind enough to take a bunch for us, and I'm so grateful! They're kind of in random order, but I'll try to group them at least by child. :)

Introducing Sadie Joan (named after her maternal grandma)
Born on 4/5/10 at about 4:50pm (I've been out of it and still don't have official times yet:)
4 lb 14 oz, 17.5 in

A big scare during the delivery was the discovery of a "true knot" in Sadie's umbilical cord. The knot had apparently not been pulled tight enough to affect her health yet, but it certainly had that potential to do that. We realized that, if my water had not broken Monday morning and forced us to deliver these babies, we would not have made this unfortunate discovery and she could easily have not made it. What a scary thought and incredible blessing at the same time. Heavenly Father certainly does know each one of us and watches over us.

Here's that knot, still attached to her...


Guy, cutting Sadie's cord...

Now introducing Jackson (or Jack) Dee (named after his paternal grandpa)

Born on 4/5/10 at 4:55pm

5 lb 6 oz, 17 in

Daddy cutting Jack's cord...

Jack has had a little harder time adjusting than Sadie has. I got to see him briefly in the OR, but then both babies were rushed up to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I have yet to be able to hold him, and Guy hasn't since just after birth, so we're both very anxious as we watch and wait for these kiddos to get strong so we can cuddle and kiss and get to know them.